Ireland’s first and last Ard Ri (high king) of the whole Gaelic race, Brian Boru was born in Munster, Ireland around 940. Brian Boru’s mother was killed by Vikings when he was a child. He spent his life uniting the Irish tribes to become the first king of Ireland only to be killed at Clontarf on Good Friday 1014 putting down a rebellion by the king of the province of Leinster. This one’s for him.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by BFro:

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev -1.2%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Cole's.poured from the tap a deep bronze with a thinner but well sustained slight off white head,mixed aromas of sweet caramel and spicey/leafy hop made it very appetizing.A big lightly sweet toffee presence really showed itself along with a hint of caramel melding into a big spicey hop finish with notes of of leafy mint lingering.A solid and somewaht complex red ale a good combination of malt and hops,another winner from FFF. (440 characters)

This is just outstanding on tap, way better than I remember it being in the bottle. Wow! Brian Boru blends biting pine and orange zest hop flavors with robust caramel and brown sugar malts. Its full of body and spunk. It looks good with a red amber body and thick tan cream head. The malts and hops are balanced beautifully in the aromas of mandarin, pineapple, toffee, and caramel. Carbonation is minimal. MF is creamy initially, becomes dry and biting halfway through, and then goes back to the malts. I cant say that it really fits the style, but it obviously isnt meant too. Its a great beer that just happens to cost way too much in the bottle these days. All the more reason to seek it out on tap. (711 characters)

I was excited to see that Three Floyd's bottled this one this year. Pours from the bomber a nice bright red with caramel tones along with a creamy, bubbly khaki head. Aromas start with big, fresh grapefruity citric Amarillo hops. There's a sweet caramel underneath with hints of candy toffee. Mangos, pineapples, oranges....so wonderful and vibrant I could sniff it all day long.

First sip brings a nice, smooth creamy caramel maltiness that soon gets overtaken by the huge hop presence. A cornucopia of fruity hop notes that leave a nice bitterness on the way down. There's a bit of nutiness in there as well. So damn good...Three Floyds has taken an Irish Red, kicked it in the ass and made it their own.

Mouthfeel is nice with a smooth, creamy body that is rather full. This goes down so easily I could drink it all night. I must say..this is the Irish Red I want to be drinking on St. Patty's Day. Three Floyd's has done it yet again. Highly recommended. (965 characters)

T - nice floral hop bite up front, followed by considerable caramel malt sweetness. I think the hop presence is a nice compliment. This bottle is several months old. Would love to try a fresh bottle to see how assertive the hops are.

Tastes very sweet as well. It is very malty sweet and I sense that this beer must have been a little hoppier when fresh. I can still taste the hops but they lack any punch. Very bready and caramel malty, not much of a finish though. Which is where the hops seem to have fizzled out a bit.

Odd, that I live in a state bordering Indiana, but have to drive to Blacksburg, Virginia, to find Three Floyds.
Appearance: 22 ox bottle pours a clear, copper mahogany body with ruby highlights. Very radiant as it beckons in the imperial pint glass. The head is two fingers tall, beige and sticky. Nice head retention and gobs of patchy lace adhere to the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Pungent ruby red grapefruit and orangezest immediately greet the nose. The citrus hoppiness is soft and easy, but assertive. Restrained malty notes of caramel and toffee are in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, with moderate carbonation and some hop oiliness.
Taste: Very much like the bouquet, taste is ruled by a soft, but assertive, citrusy hops profile. Pink grapefruit, with orange and pineapple accents. Toffee and caramel are underneath, but become slightly more apparent as it warms. The hops soften even more near the finish, taking on more of a pineapple flavor. A very interesting take on an Irish Red. Think of a "Smithwicks on Steroids" with a cask of fruity citrus hops.
Drinkability: Nothing like any Irish Red Ale that I've sampled before, but not a big surprise coming from Three Floyds. This one seems to be some kind of Irish Red hybrid, but succeeds on its overall quality and fine construction. Excellent drinkability. The Amarillo hops really work well here. Very tasty! (1,390 characters)

on tap @ Track 84 in warwick, R.I., poured clear almond Amber, with a standard tan head, and leaving minimal to minor lacing, bland malty nose. This a pretty tame, malty Red Ale, notes of vanilla and honey picked up amoungst the decent malty crest of this brew.Very minor hop character. Looks like this beer in bottles is quite hoppy....interesting cuz the tap version pint that had, was malt and more malt. Nothing special, but a decent sessioner, if your thing is middle of the road malty brew. (496 characters)

Poured a nice ruby red color with a tan head that disappeared almost as fast as it developed, quite disappointing. Smell was awesome, pineapple and resiny hops greet you, probably not very true to style, but it's smells so good. Taste reminds me of red Kool-Aid for some reason, piney hops kick in to help out and a slightly roasted finish. I just didn't care for the Kool-Aid taste, maybe I'm missing something. Lower carbonation and light to medium bodied. It was a decent beer and loved the smell, but I can't say I'd search this out. This is the first FFF's that I didn't find to be awesome, but then again, maybe I'm missing something. I'll probably try it again to double check. (684 characters)

Out of a brown glass bomber, pours ruddy amber color, with a frothy 2 finger head, with fair retention and ample lacing.

The aroma consists of spicy hops, sweet malt, yeast, and some citrus. The flavor is comprised of caramel malt, a subtle nip of hops, and some candy and cherry, and generally fruity overtones.

The mouth is light on the front, smooth and bittersweet on the finish, as the hops and sugar both assert themselves, leaving a sticky residue upon the lips. A little sugary on the back to be highly drinkable. Has a solid overall balanced, but seems slighly off balance. Not one of the best from FFF. (619 characters)

Cloudy copper in color with a large khaki colored head that sticks around nicely, eventually leaving messy webs and walls of stick down the glass. Gorgeous.

Some bright hop character initially, eventually overpowered by sweet, caramel malts and simple grains and breads. Appropriate for the style, while being hoppier than anticipated--always a good thing!

Some sweet malts and bread flavors are complemented nicely by bright, citrus and light pine flavors. Very low bitterness, and incredibly drinkable. A very nice, tasty version of a style I usually pass up.

Medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation.

A hopped-up, super tasty version of an otherwise pretty lame style. Well done, FFF! (751 characters)

Received this as an extra from TonyBrew in a recent trade. Thanks again!

Appearance- Pours a translucent, dark copper red out of the bottle with a smallish half finger or so of slightly copper-tinged white head that dies back pretty quickly to a very small ring around the edges. No real lacing or beading to speak of.

Smell- Wow, surprisingly hoppy. Starts off with a combo punch of resiny hops and a big, bready whiff of caramel malt. An interesting combo that almost reminded me of a maltier Nugget Nectar in some ways. Very solid smelling however and made me curious about the palate.

Taste- The interesting combo follows through into the palate as well. Up front, I get a surprising punch of resiny hops. The hops die back fairly quickly in the face of a strong bready maltiness, highlighted with flavors of caramel and toffee. Finishes off on a slightly sweet note. Really enjoyed the flavors mixing together here as I thought was an interesting and delicious take on the style.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel is just a hair on the thin side but adequately carbonated. Great flavor profile though and my glass went down very easily.

Overall, a very interesting take on the style and I enjoyed the blend of flavors quite a bit. Give it a try if you get the chance and look for a fresh bottle so you get the unique hops. (1,332 characters)